I’ve been doing real estate photography for a couple of years and the hardest part I’ve found is helping agents to realize the importance of hiring not just a photographer to photograph the listing, but a professional real estate photographer.
If you are considering hiring a professional to photograph your listings for sale.
I’m going to give you some real facts, not opinions. My goal is to give you the confidence to grow your real estate business and be looked at in the real estate industry as a forward thinking, serious, professional sale agent. So, without wasting time let’s get started.
Saves You Time
Great photography not only requires time at the photo shoot, it requires time for editing and uploading. Time is a valuable commodity for you as an agent. Most real estate agents are at their best when listing, showing and selling properties. So why take time away from what you do best to shoot and edit photos? Instead, hire a professional photographer to do what he or she does best.
You And Your Seller Will Look Great
You should care about your image(s)! That’s right, your home owners have hired a professional real estate agent to market their home. Don’t you think you should hire a professional photographer to take the listing photos? BE that full-service agent! Prove that you’re worth the demanded amount. Those photos will represent your brand and who you are as a realtor. If your photos look amazing, then you look amazing. That also goes to your seller because chances are, no other listing around them will look as good.
More online views
According to aRedfin study, listings shot with DSLR professional photography receive 61% more online views than their competitor listings.
Better first impressions
95% of online shoppers, the front exterior photo is the first thing they see at. Furthermore, studies show that home buyers will spend about twenty seconds looking at that front exterior photo, before moving on to the other photos or listing details. That means that it’s worth to make that first 20 seconds count!
Higher selling price
Listing that are marketed with professional real estate photography have a higher perceived value and sell for more money. According to the Wall Street Journal, these listings gain anywhere from $934 to $116,076 at the closing table!
More likely to sell
Redfin’s study showed that, listings with professional DSLR photos are more likely to sell than once with point and shoot images. The study showed an increase across all price ranges, varying from 5% to 17%. See below, for instance…
Less time on market
Listings with professional DSLR photos sell faster according to Redfin. Time varied by price range, but in the $400,000 range, homes sold on average 3 weeks faster. That’s a pretty staggering stat! But this same effect goes for the “average” home as well. So how long do you prefer to wait for your commission?
Win more listings
Let’s face it, there is a lot of listing competition out there. Having a beautiful portfolio of previous listing photos just may help you win that listing. Especially when you combine it with the stars previously mentioned. Hiring a professional photographer helps you stand out in the MLS crowd, with buyers and sellers!
Social media content
Visual content is all the rage in social media these days, and having a library of beautiful professional photos in a huge asset. Use those photos on sites like Pinterest, Instagram, Google+ and Facebook to attract interest and gain referrals. Furthermore, you should be taking advantage of these social media channels! Ease of use, low/no cost, and audience are three key reasons to make use of social media to promote your business and listings. For instance, go check out Instagram, use hashtag #realestate, and see what pops up for your buyers to see!
Higher quality results
You as a professional real estate agent, you sell properties for a living. You know your business inside and out. Professional photographers do photography for a living, and they know their craft. They practice often, and they know lighting, angles and composition. They know how to take an ordinary room and make it look extraordinary. As a professional agent, deliver top service to your clients by hiring a professional to create their home’s MLS images.
Trigger emotion
Beautiful photos trigger an emotional response. And emotion sells. In fact, for most buyers, emotion is about 80% of the buying decision. Buyers use logic to choose price ranges, locations, and home sizes. But from there, most consumers will rely on emotion to choose the homes they visit in person and ultimately purchase. Great listings images help homebuyers imagine themselves in that property, and great images are what move them to call you for showings.
The truth is that you have about 20 seconds to catch buyer’s eye. What gets real estate website viewers to pause (and call you) is great photos. Hiring a professional real estate photographer is worth the investment. Professional real estate photography is not a “luxury item”, reserved only for the top producers who make huge commissions. (How do you think they got that way, anyhow?) With dark, blurry MLS images?) Professional real estate photography is an essential must-have for any professional agent’s marketing toolbox.
To book your property shoot in the Chicago metro area today, please get in touch with us via email at hello@luxestateimages.com or book it right here
Check out some of our last listings here
I’m glad you talked about how working with a real estate photographer saves you time and helps to sell your property. My parents want to sell their home to purchase a condo near the beach, so they want to make it happen as soon as possible. I’ve heard about the benefits of hiring a professional photographer, so I told my parents about it. They weren’t very persuaded, so I think your article could help. Thanks for the information about why it’s important to hire a photographer when selling your home.
It’s great that you talked about how high-quality pictures help a property sell faster. Recently, my wife and I decided we want a change of scenery, so we’re leaving town and moving to another one. We want to move before the holidays, so we need to sell our home fast, and we believe your article will help us. Thanks for the information on real estate photographers and their advantages.